The price of bitcoin fell in late afternoon trading Tuesday following a false social media post from the X account of the Securities and Exchange Commission that stated the agency had approved bitcoin exchange-traded funds for trading.
The SEC later deleted the post and said its account on X was compromised and it had not approved the ETFs.
Bitcoin initially jumped as high as $47,901, its highest level since March 2022, according to Coin Metrics, before dropping back down. It was last trading lower by 3% at $45,575.60.
Bitcoin briefly spikes on false report of bitcoin ETF approval
Investors had expected an update from the Securities and Exchange Commission as soon as tomorrow, with some hoping the decision would come earlier. Wednesday marks the deadline for the SEC to either approve or deny the Ark 21 Shares spot bitcoin ETF application. It is widely believed that the agency will approve several at once.
Bitcoin had traded below the $47,000 level on Tuesday, after crossing it one day prior for the first time since April 2022, as updated SEC filings from potential bitcoin ETF issuers bolstered investors’ confidence that an approval is inevitable.
Some investors say the day one effect of an approval has been overestimated and that it could be a sell-the-news event. Bitcoin has advanced about 60% in the past three months, primarily as a result of the ETF hype.
This story originally appeared on CNBC
